Manchester, Dec 8 (NationPress) Dan Ashworth has officially departed from his position as sporting director of Manchester United after a mere five months. Ashworth joined the club on July 1 following a protracted gardening leave from his last role at Newcastle United.

In a statement, Manchester United announced, "Dan Ashworth will be leaving his role as Sporting Director of Manchester United by mutual agreement. We extend our gratitude to Dan for his contributions and support during this transitional phase for the club, and we wish him success in his future endeavors."

Ashworth's exit was reportedly settled during a meeting with chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford following United's Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday night.

According to an earlier report by Daily Mail, Dan Ashworth was influential in the decision to extend former head coach Erik Ten Hag's contract over the summer. This decision ultimately proved detrimental, as the Dutch manager was dismissed just weeks into the season, causing significant disruption for the Red Devils and angering co-owner Jim Ratcliffe with the Sporting Director.

At the time, Ashworth stated, "Our initial major decision of the summer was to prolong Erik Ten Hag's contract as men’s first-team manager until June 2026, reflecting our firm belief in him as one of Europe’s premier coaches."

The departure of the sporting director comes as a considerable surprise, especially since Manchester United invested considerable effort to acquire Ashworth from Newcastle United.

Ashworth was instrumental in a lavish spending spree at Old Trafford during the summer, which amounted to nearly 200 million Pounds (280 million USD) and saw the arrivals of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs De Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui, and Joshua Zirkzee.